Like We Never Loved At All
by Deathangel113
Summary: She had forgotten and he was left to hold the pieces.


**Disclaimer: Fruits Basket (anime/manga) is the property of Natsuki Takaya. The song Like We Never Loved At All is the property of Faith Hill and the original writer. I hold no ownership or affiliation to either the song or Fruits Basket.**

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Like We Never Loved At All

_You never looked so good_

_as you did last night,_

_underneath the city lights,_

_there walking with your friend_

_laughing at the moon._

_I swear you looked right through me._

_But I'm still living with your goodbye,_

_and you're just going on with your life._

Years had passed since the day that they had parted. Her laughter was just as musical as he remembered. Seeing her now she looked the same if not more beautiful. It was probably the mother's glow, which was highlighted by the lights of the Sohma estate. There was a swell of her abdomen from the growing child within her. She was with her husband and they were out together on an evening stroll. They passed him and he followed her with his eyes, but she didn't seem to notice. He was invisible.

_How can you just walk on by_

_without one tear in your eye?_

_Don't you have the slightest feelings left for me?_

_Maybe that's just your way_

_of dealing with the pain,_

_forgetting everything_

_between our rise and fall_

_like we never loved at all._

He frowned and turned away from the retreating figures. Seeing her for even that briefest moment reminded him of what he had lost and his continued fate. It was difficult now and he knew that for the next few days he would return to that dark place. Maybe when he returned to reality this time he would be one-step closer to forgetting or he could very possibly take several steps back as she continued walking forward.

_You, I hear you're doing fine._

_Seems like you're doing well_

_as far as I can tell._

_Time is leaving us behind,_

_(time-leaving us behind)_

_another week has passed_

_and still I haven't laughed yet._

_So tell me, what your secret is_

_(I wanna know, I wanna know, I wanna know)_

_to letting go, letting go like you did,_

_like you did._

That brief vacation stuck out clearly in his mind. Ayame had told him that she had married. The photograph was a constant vision in his mind. She had been smiling and appeared to be happy with her husband. Seeing them now served as more proof for that.

Time was a weight that burdened him more each day. Unlike him she remained unaffected by that. Often he wondered if it was that easy for her to forget, but he knew otherwise. Sometimes he wished that the possibility of marriage had not been brought up between them, but Akito had thrown the first stone and time had torn everything else away. For eternity though she and her happiness would remain a constant just as he and his laughter would die.

_How can you just walk on by_

_without one tear in your eye?_

_Don't you have the slightest feelings left for me?_

_Maybe that's just your way_

_of dealing with the pain,_

_forgetting everything_

_between our rise and fall_

_like we never loved at all._

Ayame had stated that he should have stolen her away, but it was far to late. Had circumstances been different he may have made some attempt to keep her, but he wasn't that lucky. Fate had intervened and had taken away his one chance for happiness. There was nothing that he could have done.

_Did you forget the magic?_

_Did you forget the passion?_

_Oh, and did you ever miss me,_

_and long to kiss me?_

_Oh baby, baby._

The memory of her kiss was his greatest one. Often he wondered if she remembered anything from before. Maybe in her dreams she relived what they had shared only to forget when she woke. That was of course only wishful thinking.

_Maybe that's just your way_

_of dealing with the pain,_

_forgetting everything_

_between our rise and fall_

_like we never loved at all._

It was too much to ask for, to go back and relive the past. Had he been given the chance he would have kept her from forgetting, but doing so would have destroyed her. He would live with the decision. The memory of her love, that at least he could keep.


End file.
